{"id":15815,"date":"2025-04-24T19:50:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=15815"},"modified":"2025-04-24T19:50:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:50:52","slug":"from-bulldog-to-beacon-taria-blanchards-journey-back-to-tps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/24\/from-bulldog-to-beacon-taria-blanchards-journey-back-to-tps\/","title":{"rendered":"From Bulldog to Beacon: Taria Blanchard\u2019s Journey Back to TPS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Asia Nail<\/em>
\nThe Truth Reporter<\/em><\/p>\n

Back in May 2002, The Sojourner\u2019s Truth <\/em>featured a graduating senior who was turning heads and raising bars\u2014Taria<\/strong> Blanchard<\/strong>. At Scott High School, she was class Salutatorian, had held a GPA over 4.0 since the seventh grade, led the student body, played multiple sports, and still found time to join clubs like Yearbook and Spanish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was doing a lot back then,\u201d Blanchard laughs. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t see it like that at the time. I just wanted to do well\u2014for myself, my family and my community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, she\u2019s still making her community proud\u2014as the Director of Career and Technical Education<\/strong> (CTE) for Toledo Public Schools <\/strong>(TPS), overseeing the Business and Marketing Department. From running programs that give high school students real-life job skills to planning events like NEXTSTEP<\/strong>, Taria is shaping the future for the next generation\u2014and doing it with heart.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bulldog Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blanchard grew up surrounded by motivation, structure, and support. \u201cGo Bulldogs!\u201d she cheers proudly, remembering her high school days. Her parents, Coach Pete (Herbert) and Vernice Blanchard, made sure she and her sister Torri were always focused on both books and ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever been in our dining room, then you know\u2014it\u2019s basically a trophy room,\u201d she smiles. \u201cMy parents worked full-time jobs, but raising us with purpose? That was their main job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Pete wasn\u2019t just cheering from the sidelines\u2014he was coaching. He helped lead their teams and often volunteered in the schools. Miss Vernice? She was at every meeting, every classroom, every lunchroom. \u201cShe held every PTO office at some point,\u201d Taria says, grinning. \u201cTeachers used to think she worked there!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her younger sister Torri also played basketball and has gone on to coach several girls\u2019 teams. And yes, Torri also worked at this very newspaper for a while too\u2014The Sojourner\u2019s Truth<\/em> has been a part of this family’s journey for decades.<\/p>\n

In that 2002 article, we wrote about Taria\u2019s big plans to attend Urbana University on a basketball scholarship. She had received multiple scholarships\u2014from Delta Sigma Theta, Ben E. Williams Youth Services and the Board of Education\u2014because when you shine like she did, doors fly open.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Guided by Greatness: Mentors Who Made a Difference<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even with a strong family behind her, Taria never walked this road alone. Along the way, she was surrounded by mentors who saw her light and helped it shine brighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cTracy Knighten was my first real mentor,\u201d she says. \u201cHe would pick me up from school, take me to events, expose me to things I didn\u2019t even know were options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another name rolls off her tongue with deep respect: \u201cDr. Treva Jeffries-Martin. She\u2019s the reason I became an educator. I saw how she connected with students\u2014how she demanded excellence but gave grace. I wanted to be like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiles when she talks about Mr. David Manley: \u201cHe was just real with me. He taught me how to carry myself with confidence, how to walk into a room like I belong there.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Ms. Kimberly Sams? \u201cMs. Sams reminded me that being smart wasn\u2019t something to hide. She celebrated my academic side and always pushed me higher.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continues, \u201cEarl Morris and the late Dennis Black were also important to me. Coach Earl believed in my leadership potential before I did. And Coach Black\u2014he was the kind of leader who made you want to do right. I hope I make them all proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Family, Found and Given<\/strong><\/p>\n

Her extended family was just as essential. \u201cKim and Eric Ellis treated me like their own daughter Ashley, who was my best friend,\u201d she shares. \u201cI used to sit in their basement grading papers! That was probably my first taste of teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the Griffin and Jude families, who cheered her on like blood relatives. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t tell me I wasn\u2019t part of their families,\u201d she says, laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Aunt Lutherine Poston\u2014God rest her soul\u2014got me my first car. Aunt Yvette and Uncle Wayne used to send me care packages in college with all the things I didn\u2019t know I needed. That love? That kind of love sticks with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an adult, she says the Liddell-Smith family \u201cwrapped me up in love, too. They embraced me when I was finding my footing and always lifted me up.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, there are \u201cThe Boys.\u201d \u201cMy cousins\u2014but really, they\u2019re more like my brothers,\u201d she says with pride. \u201cI have to shout them out because they\u2019ve always had my back. And I\u2019ve tried to be the blueprint for all my younger cousins, showing them what\u2019s possible when you stay focused and grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back Home and Leading the Way<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, Taria is right where she\u2019s meant to be\u2014back in Toledo, making an impact through education.<\/p>\n

As Director of Career and Technical Education for TPS, she oversees hands-on programs that prepare students for real careers\u2014healthcare, engineering, cybersecurity, construction, manufacturing, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re helping kids graduate with a diploma and a plan,\u201d she says. \u201cCollege is great\u2014but it\u2019s not the only path. We\u2019re giving students real options and real-world skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also getting ready for N<\/strong>EXTSTEP, the district\u2019s major college and career event taking place October 14-16.<\/p>\n

\u201cColleges, businesses\u2014if you want to be part of something meaningful, email us at careertech@tps.org,\u201d she says. \u201cLet\u2019s pour into these kids the way people poured into us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Next Chapter Starts Here<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So what\u2019s next for Taria Blanchard? If her past is any clue, it\u2019s going to involve more students, more opportunities, and more of that magical mix of heart and hustle.<\/p>\n

As some of her own mentors begin to retire, Taria takes a moment to send love their way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. Thank you for showing me how to lead, how to listen, how to love our kids through structure and support. I\u2019m only here because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, she\u2019s that mentor for hundreds of students across the city\u2014living proof that investing in young people pays off in powerful ways.<\/p>\n

Because the future doesn\u2019t build itself. But with leaders like Taria Blanchard, it\u2019s in very<\/em> good hands.<\/p>\n

Colleges, employers, and organizations ready to inspire the next generation can email: <\/em>careertech@tps.org<\/em><\/a> for more information.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Asia Nail The Truth Reporter Back in May 2002, The Sojourner\u2019s Truth featured a graduating senior who was turning heads and raising bars\u2014Taria Blanchard. At Scott High School, she was class Salutatorian, had held a GPA over 4.0 since the seventh grade, led the student body, played multiple sports, and still found time to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,250,17],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[290],"class_list":["post-15815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover_story","category-local-news","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15815"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15819,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15815\/revisions\/15819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15815"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=15815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}